Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Howdy to everyone. I was perusing some of the message boards and I came upon this one. After taking a good look around and seeing all the great material that's posted here, I thought I'd sign up and see what kind of reaction I get with my work. The Superman section seemed like the one that made the most sense to me in which to do something like this, but the powers that be (namely Great Rao) can feel free to move it to wherever they feel it's the most suitable. Anyway, this thread is kind of a homage to John Byrne's great series Superman & Batman: Generations, about which I'm building a (personal) web site. I think it's a great idea that John Byrne re-imagined the careers of both Supes and Bats in real time. Anyway, here's the first installment: The original last son of Krypton ... Superman 1939 done in my own animated style. Hope you like it, and comment of any kind is invited.

More to come! :D

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/1939superman.jpg)

Love the photo. I like your animated style, it'd make for a great animated series.  Can't wait to see more.

In fact, I'd love to see one with the red, black and yellow shield like in the Flescier cartoons.

M.

When I close my eyes this is  the SUPERMAN i see. This drawing rocks! In my perfect world this is the Superman I want to see in the new 2006 movie!!!!!!!!!

Wow!  :shock: That's really high praise. Thanks, Webley. And thank you too, Middy. Unfortunately, I don't have any immediate plans to render the Fleischer Superman as this will be more of an anthology for Superman & Batman: Generations. But don't despair! That leaves us with plenty of Super-stuff coming down the pike (among other things). I also sent in an application for membership to The Legions of Gotham in order to get a reaction out of the Bat-crowd, too.

By the way, I just picked up the first Superman & Batman: Generations trade paperback (which contains all four issues of the original limited series). I thought it was a wonderful piece of work that combined the serious edge of the modern DC Universe with the fun and adventure of the beloved Pre-Crisis DCU (especially the contest between Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk). Anybody else have any thoughts on this series?

Finally done! I thought I was never gonna get this one finished what with all the Christmas visiting and all. But here's the second in the series: Bruce Wayne just starting out in his war on crime as the dreaded Dark Knight. I give you Batman 1939 ... or as he was known back then, the Bat-Man!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/1939batman.jpg)

vere nice I think DC could learn a lot from you.
PS your superman is now my set as my new background :D

Wow!  Very impressive, Bill.  This reminds me of TriSaber's work.  He posted his versions of the classic Legion and Superman about a year ago in this forum, but sadly those pics don't show anymore.  Some were posted on the Continuum Worlds message board, but they also vanished in a crash.   :cry:

Anyone hear about TriSaber lately?  Since their styles are so similar, I bet a collaboration between him and Bill could crank out the Generations gang, the Legion and the Silver Age Super-Family in no time.

Yes, both of their styles are nearly identical, I thought they were the same person at 1st (they might be).

:wink:  Okay, guys. I guess the jig is up. As with the DCU Animated board, I wanted to wait until the New Year to reveal myself, but since Kryptcom of DCUA already cracked the case, I may as well spill the beans here, too. It is I ... TriSaber!

It's been a very busy year, but things are finally back under control, so I thought it was high time I rejoined the fun here at Superman Through the Ages. But I wanted to do things fancy, so I invented a new alias and began to post new work as a sort of Christmas mystery thing to see who would catch on. But like I said, the folks at DCUA started to catch on, and it would've only been a matter of time before the knowledge filtered over here. So I figured I may as well take the mask off. To tell the truth, I kinda like my new handle better, since it's based on the HAL 9000 computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Anyway, it's good to be back amongst fellow Superman fans again. Here's to 2005!

Cheers!  :D

Any relation to Bill Galvin, or is the similar first name just a coincidence?

(http://superman.nu/FanArt/supes0.jpg) (http://superman.nu/FanArt/supes.php)

(http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Rampart/5557/batssupes2.jpg) (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Rampart/5557/gallery.html)

I thought the "S shield" on the Superman looked identical to the Golden Age Superman TriSaber once posted, but since that pic disappeared I couldn't compare them.  The overall art style was also very close, but I decided to play it safe just in case Bill 9000 wasn't TriSaber.

Welcome back!  We missed seeing your artwork, and I look forward to seeing your latest renderings.  I'm sure Dylan would also like to see your versions of the Supergirls that appeared in the three Generations series.

Although I took my new alias partly from the HAL 9000 computer of 2001, "Bill" is actually my real first name. But it's just a coincidence, I'm afraid.

Looking good, Bill 9000. I like your animated style, it's simple yet detailed. It would be kicker to see these designs in a new animated series. As much as I like JLU, I never cared for their version of Supes-- to beefy, bulky and awkard from certain angles.

Your Supes on the other hand is near perfection; graceful, charming and powerful looking. The same with your Bat-Man.

Thanks! Glad you like 'em. I'm currently working on going back to the year 1929 so we can get a look at Clark Kent as Superboy and Bruce Wayne as Robin.

Stay tuned!

We now move forward in time to the year 1949 in the Generations series, where the Man of Steel has married Lois Lane and they are expecting their first child. I give you Superman 1949.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/1949superman.jpg)

Bill, you are and will remain the man when it comes to this kind of artwork. As a fellow canucklehead and an aspiring scribe I salute ye.

  :D

 -Def.

Bill 9000, your work is beautful.  One particular thing I like is that you don't have that thick black outline between the red and yellow sections of the S logo.  It's always bugged me that DC puts it on the T-Shirts, as if it actually exists on the costume. :roll:

Thanks, Defender. And you too, Starchild. I always avoid using black lines on a particular character's emblem (unless, of course, the design specifically calls for it, like the Golden Age Green Lantern's, for instance). They simply look better without 'em. And now, on to the next in the series.

We take you to the dark streets of Gotham City in 1949, where Bruce Wayne is now a married man and he and his wife (Anyone care to tell me who that is?) find out that they are expectant parents. I give you Batman 1949.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/1949batman.jpg)

Dick Sprang would be proud Bill. :)

 As to who Bruce's wife is, I always presumed it to be Julie Madison (she was Bruce's fiancee in the early Bob Kane/Bill Finger Batman stories back in the '30s, and she appears prominently in the 1939 section of Generations volume one, number one), although Byrne keeps us in the dark as to her exact identity well into the second volume of the series. Presumably it could be either Julie or Selina Kyle, but we can't say with 100% certainty. We do know it's not Talia anyway. ;)

 -Def.

Thanks a lot for the compliment, Defender. I tried to give the '49 Batman as much of a Dick Sprang feel as I could without actually having to duplicate Sprang's classic work.

As for Bruce Wayne's mysterious wife (and the mother of Bruce Jr.), I've been trying to find out exactly who she is. I've read through Generations 2 (I have the trade paperback edition), and I even read the Mild Mannered Reviews on Generations 3 at Superman Home Page, but to no avail. Logic would dictate that, like you said,  it's either Julie Madison or Selina Kyle (a.k.a. the Catwoman). I seriously doubt its Talia, because Bruce Sr. encountered her and her father (Ra's Al Ghul) long after Bruce Jr. reached adulthood and assumed the mantle of the Batman. I may have to log onto Byrne Robotics and pose the question to John Byrne himself, although chances are I probably won't get an answer.

No worres Bill, I was teasing about the Talia connection. It's a toss-up between Selina and Julie in my opinion. You could query Byrne, but most likely he'd be coy and suggest it's whoever we'd prefer of the two. Still, it's worth a shot. Wish they'd hurry up and collect Generations 3 already. . . :)

 -Def.

I think John Byrne has said that it's deliberately a mystery and that he has no specific woman in mind.  Maybe there were a bunch of old imaginary stories in the sixties where Batman had a wife, but she was always in shadow or something so the reader never actually saw who it was.  So JB is was just playing with that.

I dunno, man.  :wink:  That Lazarus Pit worked wonders for both Bruce Sr. and Ra's. So maybe Talia used it to rejuvinate herself in the 50s and go abroad to sow her oats.  :lol:

As I recall Starchild the 'official' explanation for Dick as Batman II and Bruce Jr. as Robin II was that Alfred was something of a closet novelist, writing up these imaginary stories of Dick as Batman and Bruce's son teaming up to battle the son of the Joker. In those tales Bruce's wife's face was also concealed from the reader's eye, so they were always left guess as to just who won Batman's heart after all.

 Well Bill, one never knows, does one? ;) Still, given the fact that the Batman II tales were penned long before O'Neil and Adams created Ra's and Talia, I tend to lean more toward the former two suspects. But hey, that's me.

 -Def.

*Sigh* Guess I'll have to chalk this subject up as one of those "Unsolved Mysteries".  :cry:  :wink:

Ah well, some things are better left to the imagination anyway. Terminal what-happens-next-itis has been the bane of many a great comics series, as well as the consistent desire to know it all. I like a couple loose ends myself. Leaves some room for reader interpretation. :)

 -Def.

According to John Bryne, Batman's wife is "Kathy Kane", a.k.a
"Batwoman"

I just found an answer in the Byrne Robotics FAQ section about this very subject. Byrne's answer goes like this:

I just had another idea for doing the bios on the different characters that appear in Generations. I'm going to list who originally created them. For example, all of the Superman entries will stated that he was originally created by Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster. Similarly, all Batman entries will state that he was originally created by Bob Kane. But one escapes me. Who originally created the Pre-Crisis Superboy? If it wasn't Siegal and Shuster, them who was it? :?:

Actually, Pre Crisis Superboy was definitely created by Siegel & Shuster.  They pitched it before going to serve in WW2 but DC claimed to have rejected it.  When they came back, DC was publishing Superboy.  They sued for ownership of Superman -- to get him back -- and Superboy -- who they never signed away in the first place.  While the courts back then upheld DC's ownership of Superman, they supported Siegel & Shuster's claim over Superboy.

Unfortunately, that win cost the guys their jobs at DC.  Their contracts were either not renewed or they were fired outright.

It took Neal Adams and the other comics pros campaigning on their behalf during the era of the first Superman movie to get them creator credit and living stipends for creating Superman.

Bill,

Your artwork is fantastic. I would live to see a cast picture once you're done with your renderings, or an action sequence.  I think that you have captured the hope and spirit of Superman, while capturing the dark, vengence of the 30's Bat-Man.

Your 1949 Batman invokes the image of the Dick Spring Batman of the 1950s.  I can almost see him fighting the Joker in a warehouse of oversized props.

Are you also planning to do Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, respectively, out of costume?

M.

Thanks for your comments, Middy. I might just do a photograph of all of them standing a la Kingdom Come once they're all finished. As for their civilian identities, one never knows.


Thanks for the info, Kal. I really appreciate it. The reason I asked is that TheFreeDictionary.com states that Superboy was created without the permission of Siegel and Shuster, but nothing is said as to whether or not the famous duo actually created the character. Thanks for clearing that up.

I'm currently reworking Superman 1949 (making him a bit beefier and changing the emblem to make it look more like something Al Plastino or Wayne Boring would do).

Just finished up the revisions to Superman 1949, and here he is. I'm leaving the original up so people can make comparisons.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/1949superman2.jpg)

Great job!

Thanks. I haven't had time to do much this past week because we got hit with no less than three snowstorms in a row. Yeesh! I hate winter. But I thought I'd take a break from the guys and start with some of the ladies from the series ... starting with Wonder Woman 1986.

Coming up next.  :D

Hm. . .looks funky Bill. I like how he seems a bit more broad in the beam in this take, the stuff with the shield is nice, and the shading is a bit more 'four color' in this take. Very nice work. :)

 -Def.

Thanks, Defender. I just wasn't satisfied with my first take on the '49 Superman from Generations. It's obvious that the Superman of that particular series is supposed to be a retelling of the Pre-Crisis Superman's career in real time, not the Post-Crisis version. For example, he has his classic vulnerabilities to red solar radiation, the various classic forms of kryptonite (green, red, gold, etc.) exist, the Fortress of Solitude is identical to the classic fortress, and so on. So I felt I had to adjust my '49 Supes to match, but still have Kal-El look relatively young since the 1949 story happens 11 years after his debut as Superman. The same can be said for the Batman, too. This is a retelling of the life of the Pre-Crisis Dark Knight, not the psycho-ninja Post-Crisis version. This is particularly evident when Bat-Mite appeared in the 1959 segment.

At long last! I finally found the time to finish this one. The hair was actually the most difficult part. Why can't all super-heroes have black hair? Anyway, from the grim and gritty year of 1986 comes the chairwoman of the JLA in Generations. She's Stephanie Trevor, the daughter of the original Amazing Amazon all grown up. Meet Wonder Woman 1986!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/1986wonderwoman.jpg)

Amazing work, Bill 9000!  So this is Byrne's "Generations" version of the Earth-2 Hippolyta Trevor, aka Fury?  Interesting that Byrne used the first name of the current Wonder Girl to distinguish his character from the original Lyta.

I always thought the Wonder Woman costume would look better (and still be recognizable) if it was simplified without the stars, and that attached cape is interesting.  But that oversized eagle?  Ouch!  She could HURT someone with those sharp wingtips!   :wink:   (Did she also use a lasso?  I can't remember offhand.)  I'm not overly fond of Steph's mask and "Mercury wings" on her boots, but you really made this costume attractive -- even better than what I recall in Byrne's own series, actually.  (We didn't have too many scenes of the adult Stephanie Trevor, and her other adventures were still during her "awkward teenager" stage.)  Excellent job on the hair, by the way.

I look forward to your next illustrations.  Perhaps Kara Kent or the Supertwins?  Thanks again for sharing your impressive talent with us.

Thanks, dto. I don't recall ever seeing her use a magic lasso as an adult in '86 (although she clearly had one as a teenager back in '64).

And now it's on to the swingin' 60s ... specifically, the year 1964, where the vivacious Barbara Gordon (who, in Generations continuity, is the granddaughter of Gotham City's venerable hard-nosed police commissioner) leads a double-life as both a congresswoman and the crimefighting partner (not to mention the main squeeze) of Dick Grayson as Batman. Here's Batgirl 1964.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/1964batgirl.jpg)

Very nice. I believe she's "Oracle (http://www.notoart.com/BOP50fr.html)" now for Batman and friends right? After Joker shot and paralysed her in an attempt to try and drive the commisioner insane. Cool thread.

Megatron, Barbara becoming Oracle after "A Killing Joke" is in current mainstream DC continuity.  (And I once read on another message board that originally Bab's wound WASN'T supposed to leave her a permanent cripple, but DC never followed up and left her in that wheelchair.  Think Oracle can now sue DC for medical/editorial neglect and malpractice?)   :wink:

Bill 9000's depiction is an "Imaginary Story" Batgirl from John Byrne's "Superman/Batman: Generations" series, tracing the Kent and Wayne families as if Superman and Batman debuted in the 1930s like their original publication dates, and then aged over the decades accordingly. (Bruce needed a Lazarus Pit to keep up with Clark.)   :wink:  

I like this picture, especially Batgirl's hair and the gold utility pouch instead of the original red purse with the bat-symbol.  Great work, Bill 9000!

Thanks, guys. I'm glad you like my take on Generations Babs.  :D

Here's the first official rendering for the brand new Supermanica encyclopedia: May I present Wonder-Man from Superman Vol. 1 #163.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/wonderman.jpg)

That's fantastic!

If you're taking requests, I'd like to put in a bid for an image of Nightwing...for obvious reasons. :-)

and Beppo the Super Monkey

I'll get to Beppo the Super Monkey soon enough. But before I do that, I'm tackling an ape who's a helluva lot bigger ... namely Titano!

Also thought I'd post my revised Pre-Crisis Superman figure illustration here as well as in the Supermanica section just to keep the thread (and the Art Section moving).

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/Bill_9000/superman.jpg)

Who doesnt love Titano? :D

Whew! Finally finished. Here's everyone's favorite super-ape, and newly posted to his entry at Supermanica: Titano! I based him on the original Wayne Boring illustrations of him in Superman Vol. 1 #127. Bananas, anyone?

(http://superman.nu/wiki/images/3/36/Titano.jpg)

Wow!  I just decided to open up this section for the first time, and I'm glad I did!  Your artwork is fantastic, Bill!  I hope to see more of it in the future!  

Great stuff!

Thanks, Gernot. I'm currently working on more images for the Supermanica site. Check back soon.